The present invention relates to a new, novel and distinct variety of nectarine tree, Prunus persica var. nucipersica, which has been denominated varietally as ‘Burnectsixteen’ hereinafter.
The present variety of nectarine tree resulted from an on-going program of fruit and nut tree breeding. The purpose of this program is to improve the commercial quality of deciduous fruit and nut varieties, and rootstocks, by creating and releasing promising selections of prunus, malus and regia species. To this end we make both controlled and hybrid cross pollinations each year in order to produce seedling populations from which improved progenies are evaluated and selected.
The seedling ‘Burnectsixteen’ was originated by us from a population of seedlings grown in our experimental orchards located near Fowler, Calif. The seedlings, grown on their own roots, were the result of a controlled cross of a yellow-fleshed clingstone nectarine tree, of unknown parentage which was used as the pollen parent, and the “Crimson Baby” nectarine tree, (unpatented), and which is an early ripening, yellow-fleshed, freestone nectarine tree, which was used as the seed parent. One seedling, which is the present variety, exhibited especially desirable characteristics and was marked for subsequent observation. After the 1998 fruiting season, the new variety of nectarine tree was selected for advanced evaluation and repropagation.